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Good morning, Thunder Bay — and welcome to issue one hundred and twenty-three. A windy start with a shower or two early, then clearing to a partly cloudy day with a high of 19°C. It's the first of October, and Grace Place's Out of the Cold shelter opens its doors tonight. In today's issue: that shelter's tenth winter; Simpson Street businesses organize and host a ward forum; a familiar face returns to lead Faye Peterson House; and a free regalia-lending program for powwows. Plus a Thursday spotlight on Nook, a Recipe of the Month for the first day of October, and seven things to do between now and Monday.
In this Harbour Beat Issue…
Trivia: Before a concert, an orchestra tunes to a single note given by the oboe. Which note is it — A, C, or G? (Answer at the bottom!)
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Thunder Bay Events
From Come From Away at the Auditorium and a Thursday comedy night to Friday live music and Sunday's Run for the Cure, here's what's on between now and Monday.
Thursday, October 1
OCT 1 · Come From Away — 7:30 to 9 p.m., $36 · 📍 Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, 1 Paul Shaffer Dr. · Badanai Theatre's production of the acclaimed 9/11 musical, with more performances Friday and Saturday. · 📅 Add to Calendar
OCT 1 · Open Mic Comedy at Campfire Comedy — doors 7 p.m., show 8 to 10 p.m., free · 📍 117 Cumberland St. N. · A weekly no-cover night with touring comedians and rising stars; sign-ups at 7:30. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Friday, October 2
OCT 2 · Friday Live Music at Bar Polonia — 8 to 11 p.m., $10 cover · 📍 Polish Combatants' Association Branch No. 1, 209 N. Cumberland St. · Live music every Friday night; everyone is welcome. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Saturday, October 3
OCT 3 · Come From Away (final performance) — 7:30 to 9 p.m. · 📍 Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, 1 Paul Shaffer Dr. · The last night of Badanai Theatre's run of the musical. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Sunday, October 4
OCT 4 · Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure — 10 a.m. to noon · 📍 Legion Track, Fort William Stadium, Victoria Ave. · A 5K and 1K run/walk raising money for breast cancer research and patient support. · 📅 Add to Calendar
OCT 4 · Family Art Days — 1 to 4 p.m., free · 📍 Thunder Bay Art Gallery, 1080 Keewatin St. · Free all-ages creative activities and a wander through the gallery's exhibitions. · 📅 Add to Calendar
Monday, October 5
OCT 5 · Hospice Northwest Volunteer Information Session — 6 to 7 p.m., free · 📍 On Zoom (Hospice Northwest, 63 Carrie St.) · Learn how a few hours a month can bring companionship to someone living with a life-limiting illness; no commitment. · 📅 Add to Calendar
✅ NO WEATHER ALERTS IN EFFECT
Environment Canada has nothing posted for Thunder Bay as of Wednesday evening. A gusty morning with a few early showers, then a brighter afternoon.
⛅ Thursday, October 1 — Thunder Bay
19°C
Overnight low 8°C
Partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers early in the morning, then clearing. West wind becoming 30 km/h, gusting to 50 in the morning. UV index 4, moderate. Partly cloudy tonight with a 30 percent chance of showers overnight; northwest wind 20 km/h gusting to 40.
Friday is sunny with a high of 15°C and a low near 0°C that night. Saturday turns cloudy at 12°C, and Sunday brings a 60 percent chance of showers with a high near 14°C. Monday is a mix of sun and cloud at 13°C. Forecast from Environment Canada.
Grace Place's Out of the Cold shelter opens tonight for its tenth winter
Grace Place, the street ministry at 235 Simpson Street, starts its Out of the Cold overnight shelter tonight, on the program's tenth anniversary. Co-founder and operations manager Melody Macsemchuk calls it the last resort: it has 30 beds and 10 overflow spaces, and it's there for when every other shelter bed in the city is full. Intake begins at 9 p.m., seven nights a week, and runs to April 30, 2027. Guests get a hot dinner, a shower, laundry, a bed, a hot breakfast and a bagged lunch to go.
Provincial funding that arrived in 2025 through the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board helped expand the shelter, and Macsemchuk says close to 30,000 stays have been logged over nine winters. Last year's opening night drew 12 people, and she expects numbers to build slowly, climbing around the middle of December once word gets around.
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Simpson Street merchants form a 'clean, safe and open' association, and host a McKellar ward forum
A new group calling itself the Simpson Street Mainline Business Association has launched a website with the slogan "Where the past meets the possible," and a goal of bringing back some of the street's days as a south-side shopping destination. Managing director Corey Anderson of Ingaged Creative Productions says what the businesses around Simpson and Hardisty want boils down to three words: clean, safe and open. It's a loose group rather than a formal business improvement area; council dissolved the street's BIA in 2018.
The association's first public event was a Tuesday-night forum at The Outset, the former East End Ukrainian Prosvita building that Ingaged now operates. Three of the five McKellar ward candidates, Marco Cupelli, Tony DiPaolo and Donnalee Morettin, answered eight questions on topics from community safety and vacant storefronts to housing and street upkeep. Brian Hamilton and Tracey MacKinnon couldn't attend.
🗳️ Your call: what would make you shop on Simpson Street more often?
Your call: what would make you shop on Simpson Street more often?
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A familiar face returns to lead Faye Peterson House
The women's shelter's board announced Wednesday that Tana Troniak Veran is its new executive director. She worked at what was then called Faye Peterson Transition House from 1992 to 2007 as a financial manager and executive assistant, and started in the new role on Sept. 14. She takes over from Debbie Zweep, who led the organization for nearly 30 years; her retirement was announced in May.
Board chair Mandy McMahan says Veran "inherits a strong foundation," pointing to a recently launched modular supportive housing project and a new dedicated sexual violence program.
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A 19-year-old's idea now lends free powwow regalia across the northwest
Regalia can be expensive to commission and hard to make without a teacher, which leaves some dancers on the sidelines. Tisha Duncan started the Wabinoong Regalia Collective at 19 to change that: it travels to powwows in northwestern Ontario and lends regalia out for free to people in First Nations communities who need it. The idea came from a similar service she learned about in Oregon, and the program is now in its second year.
Duncan says the barriers she ran into, including cost, culture and not knowing Elders in her area, were the push to make it happen. CBC's story also looks at the role regalia plays in ceremonies, community celebrations and graduations.
🛍️ Local Business Spotlight
Featured Restaurant: Nook
Overview
Nook calls itself "a small, but very lively, Italian inspired restaurant" in the Bay and Algoma neighbourhood. The kitchen makes everything from scratch, the wine list keeps changing, and the food comes Italian style, family style, built around local ingredients.
Highlights
Gnocchi pomodoro, baked rigatoni and pizza, three dishes that come up often in diners' reviews
Crostini with prosciutto, another regular mention
A rotating wine list, plus non-alcoholic options that one recent reviewer called out
Atmosphere & Experience
Small, lively and casual, with walk-ins welcome at the bar. Reviewers praise the space, and Nook holds a 4.4 rating on Google across more than 700 reviews.
Location & Contact
📍 271 Bay Street
📞 807-285-7775
📸 @nookthunderbay on Instagram
Operating Hours
Open daily from 11:30 a.m. for lunch and dinner
Holiday closures are posted on Instagram; reservations are through Tock, and online ordering is available
Final Course
If you're heading to the Bay and Algoma area this weekend, Nook is an easy place to land for a shared plate and a glass of something from the ever-changing list.
🍲 Recipe of the Month: Lake Superior Whitefish Chowder
October calls for something warm: a creamy, dill-flecked chowder built on mild Lake Superior whitefish, tender potatoes and sweet corn, with a little crisp bacon on top. It comes together in about 40 minutes in one pot.
Ingredients (serves 4 to 6)
450 g (1 lb) whitefish fillets, skinned and cut into bite-size chunks
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion and 2 celery stalks, diced
1 tbsp flour
3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
500 mL (2 cups) fish or vegetable stock, plus 1 bay leaf
375 mL (1½ cups) milk
250 mL (1 cup) corn kernels
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill, salt, pepper and a lemon wedge to serve
Steps
Cook the bacon in a large pot until crisp. Lift it out and leave about 1 tbsp of fat in the pot.
Soften the onion and celery in the fat for about 5 minutes, then stir in the flour for 1 minute.
Add the stock, potatoes and bay leaf. Simmer 12 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
Pour in the milk, add the corn, and bring back to a gentle simmer. Add the whitefish and cook 5 to 6 minutes, until it flakes easily. Don't let it boil.
Remove the bay leaf, stir in the dill, season with salt and pepper, and serve topped with the bacon and a squeeze of lemon.
Tip: Pickerel or lake trout work just as well if whitefish isn't on hand.
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Meme of the Day
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What's faster than word of mouth? The Harbour Beat Spotlight! Keeps you updated on what's going on locally and connects businesses to our vibrant community.
Trivia answer: A. The oboe sounds an A (usually 440 Hz) because its steady, penetrating tone cuts through the whole orchestra, so every other instrument tunes to it.
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